Their concern grew when they realized Kooper’s left eye emitted a white glint in the dark.
Although seeking medical advice is always advisable, Lowri and Shane searched online for answers and suspected their son might have retinoblastoma.
According to the NHS, retinoblastoma is a rare cancer that “mostly affects children under 3 years of age.”
The NHS website notes that “Retinoblastoma is often linked to a change in a gene that controls the growth of the eye,” and mentions that it can be hereditary.
Lowri and Shane took pictures of their 20-month-old son’s eye using their phone’s flash, revealing a disturbing white glow in every image.
Following the photo discovery, Kooper was swiftly taken to a doctor and referred to Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital in the UK on December 13.
Kooper was diagnosed with unilateral retinoblastoma, and doctors informed his parents that he is blind in his left eye.
“I didn’t think anything of it, I didn’t realise the seriousness of it,” Lowri explained. “Shane didn’t believe me at first but a couple of days later we took the pictures, which made it stand out more.”
Lowri added: “The week before we found out what it was the worst week. I didn’t know what it was, how fatal it would be, if it had spread, I was wondering if he was going to lose his eye.”
“At least then we knew what it was and what the plan was, it was a bit of a relief because the speculation was over.”
“I just felt numb, I didn’t know how to feel.”
Kooper is now receiving intra-arterial chemotherapy, with hopes to preserve his eye through ongoing treatments.
The young child will also undergo chemotherapy injections and laser therapy, which will take a minimum of two years.
“I would have noticed his eye looks different from the other but I probably wouldn’t have gone to the GP urgently, I probably would have waited until he got worse,” said Lowri.
“I probably wouldn’t have been immediately alarmed until it got worse.”
The couple is now urging other parents to check their children’s eyes for possible issues.